


i think im head over heels for you

by marcelinesfang



Series: i was an island before you came along [1]
Category: Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst and Feels, Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, F/F, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Post Season 2, minor wildcity(benji), sammy's crushing but she doesnt realize it yet, the kids get a break from running for their lives (from dinosaurs at least), yasammy, yasmina has anxiety, yaz and kenji r besties, yaz is crushing on sammy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-03-03
Packaged: 2021-03-16 06:08:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29077635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marcelinesfang/pseuds/marcelinesfang
Summary: Yaz realizes she has a crush on Sammy. She vows never to tell her in fear that she would lose her friend, but one little slip-up lets it all out.(Alternatively, the story of how Yaz and Sammy started officially dating.)
Relationships: Darius Bowman & Brooklynn & Yasmina "Yaz" Fadoula & Sammy Gutierrez & Kenji Kon & Ben Pincus, Kenji Kon/Ben Pincus, Yasmina "Yaz" Fadoula & Kenji Kon, Yasmina "Yaz" Fadoula/Sammy Gutierrez
Series: i was an island before you came along [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2192274
Comments: 16
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

"I really wish I grabbed Tiff and Mitch's can opener." Sammy groaned. 

It was the morning after the whole incident at the docks, and the gang had returned to their "renovated" camp —a task made easy with their newly acquired vehicles— as they figured out their next course of action to get off this god-forsaken island.

Well, maybe Yaz's description was a little too harsh. The island was _amazing_. It was beautiful, not to mention the only place on Earth where dinosaurs lived. While she wasn't as fascinated with the creatures as Darius was, Yasmina still found them interesting. She just found it hard to appreciate the island while she was trapped and struggling to survive on it. The multiple near-death experiences didn't help either.

"Uh, I think we need to find another source of food, Sammy." Brooklynn suggested, eyeing the severely crumpled and battered—yet surprisingly still intact— can of fruit in Sammy's hand. Yaz looked up from her sketch to take a look at the item in question. She lifted an eyebrow in amusement before returning to her drawing.

 _Poor canned fruit._ Sammy could be _very_ determined.

"Hey!" Darius piped up nearby, obviously listening to the exchange. "I saw a couple of berry bushes while on our way back from the docks. Maybe there's some around here and we could scavenge some fruit up?"

"Oh, yeah!" Ben added. "Bumpy and I lived off those things for a while. If you see any blue ones," He paused to shudder. "Don't eat them."

"Okay, so it's settled." Brooklynn announced. "Ben and Darius will go find us some food."

Kenji's stomach growled. "Sooner rather than later, I would hope." He spoke up from his resting spot in a corner of the tree house. Yaz rolled her eyes.

"I'm coming too!" Sammy announced. "I've worked way too hard on getting these cans open just to end up not getting any food."

At this development, Yasmina tore her eyes away from her sketchbook.

Being with Sammy made Yaz feel… different. It was like feeling happy, but it wasn’t the same kind of happy she feels when she wins a race or gets an A on her test. It was—different. All Yaz knew was that she really liked the feeling.

"Uh, can I come too?" She asked, twiddling with the zipper of her jacket.

"Of course, Yaz!" Sammy beamed in her direction; that beautiful, infectious smile that made Yaz's stomach flutter. "The more the merrier!"

"Great!" Darius clapped his hands together. "We can split up and cover more ground." 

"Sounds good!" Kenji agreed. Yaz stared at him.

"Dude, you're not even coming with us." She pointed out.

"Ex-act-ly." He propped his legs up on the table and laid back in his chair. Yaz rolled her eyes again but couldn't help but smile. As much as Kenji got on her nerves, they were coming to be good friends. Not that she would tell _him_ that. 

The five split off, Ben, Darius, and Bumpy going in one direction and Sammy and Yasmina going in the opposite.

Yaz squinted at the sky. It was cloudy, the lack of sweltering sun making their expedition more comfortable, but the clouds looked suspiciously like ones that would postpone her track meets with rain showers. On those days, she and her teammates would go chill in the school library, or, on rare occasions, drive to a nearby fast-food restaurant and hang out over milkshakes and fries. To be fair, Yasmina never really participated in the hanging out part, she would usually sit in a corner of the booth and draw, occasionally adding to the conversation, but nevertheless she _really_ missed it.

"What's up, Yaz?" Sammy asked, hooking her elbow into Yasmina's and leaning against her side. "It looks like you're a million miles away." 

"I–huh?" Yasmina muttered as she was pulled out of her thoughts. "Oh, I was just thinking.” She leaned back against Sammy. Usually, Yaz wasn't one to allow this kind of closeness, much less reciprocate it, but Sammy was a different story. She liked that. 

"What about?" Sammy asked, looking into Yaz's eyes expectantly, but they also seemed to say, _“if you don't want to tell me, that's okay too.”_

"Just... _home_ ," Yasmina sighed. "My family, my teammates. Heck, even school!" she laughed at the thought of ever missing that hell. 

"Yeah, I know what you mean.” Sammy stared off wistfully. “My family may be hectic, but I really miss them. Oh, what I wouldn't give for a plate of my abuela's _arroz congri y carne asada_ right now." 

"What is that?" Yaz had no idea what the food was, but regardless, her mouth was already watering. "It sounds delicious." 

"It is!" Sammy piped. " _Carne asada_ is grilled beef. _Arroz congri_ is a rice dish, mixed with beans and _sofrito_ —that's a mixture of onions and peppers and stuff to give it more flavor. Add some herbs and spices and," Sammy paused to picture to meal. " _Mmm_ , I can almost taste it."

Yasmina’s stomach gurgled in protest, finding this teasing of food to be unpleasant. "I bet it tastes amazing."

"Once we get off this island you can come over and try some for yourself!"

Yaz's brain stopped in its tracks. Did—did Sammy just invite her over for dinner? Even though the two teens lived states away and visiting was pretty improbable, something about this made Yasmina's heart skip a few beats in excitement.

She smiled "Yeah... yeah I'd like that."

Sammy beamed. Having something to look forward to after getting off of Isla Nublar was good for their mental health. Plus, they couldn't bear the idea of never seeing each over after this whole ideal was over.

"Now maybe we should work on finding some food so we don't die of starvation before that can happen?"

Yaz laughed. "Great idea.”

The two trekked on, keeping their eyes peeled for food (and their ears open for any distant roar of a dinosaur).

The landscape was varied; a small ridge on their right side was covered in vines falling from above it, and full of nooks and crannies, though not many of them being big enough to hide a threat, Yaz noted. Palms and other trees grew along the flats that they were foraging.

Yaz, however, was still thinking about her exchange with Sammy. The thought of her inviting Yasmina to visit her house and meet her family made Yaz's stomach do a flip-flop. Now that she thinks about it, nearly every thought of Sammy makes her get excessively happy or give her weird jitters in her gut. Before, she thought she was just excited to have a close friend, but now that she really thinks about it... 

_I think... I like—_

"Here!" Sammy called from up ahead, jolting Yasmina from her thoughts. "I found some!" 

"Yo, nice find, Sammy!" Yaz jogged over and gave the girl a high-five. She inspected them. "Well, they aren't blue like the ones Ben told us to avoid so we should be okay?"

"I saw some birds pecking at them before I came over," Sammy added. "If they can eat them, that's a good sign." Without waiting for any further advice, she popped one into her mouth.

"Sammy!" Yaz cried, alarm apparent on her face. "That could've been poisonous!"

The distraught and worry in Yaz’s face took Sammy by surprise, and she instantly felt bad about making her friend so worried. "Woah, hey! There was no other way to know, Yaz." Seeing her this worried _hurt_.

"I– I guess you're right," Yaz conceded. "But promise me you'll be more careful next time." She met Sammy's eyes as she waited her to respond. The distraught in Yaz's eyes made Sammy's heart wrench. She grabbed Yasmina's hands gently in comfort.

"I promise, Yasmina"

Yaz searched Sammy's eyes until she was satisfied the girl was telling the truth. "Thank you," She exhaled, the current tension and fear exiting her body.

The moment was interrupted by a loud _crack!_ coming from all around them. Yaz jolted her gaze up, noticing that the sky had turned from a light gray to an eerily dark one.

 _Dang it!_ She cursed herself. _If I was paying more attention instead if thinking about—_ A raindrop fell on her arm. Then one on her forehead. Then another.

"Uh, Yaz?" 

"We'll never make it back to camp before it starts pouring." Yaz calculated. 

Figuring out that they would have to leave sooner than expected, Sammy hurriedly started grabbing berries off the bush and shoving them into the bag she had brought from camp to carry them in. Yaz paced, trying to figure out how they could shelter from the storm, as the raindrops grew heavier and steadier around them, quickly worsening from a drizzle to a shower, until it would eventually become a downpour.

"Think, Yaz, think." She muttered to herself, trying to recall the terrain they passed by. The vines, the ridge, the cave... _the cave_?

"I know where we can take shelter!" 

The two teens sprinted through the jungle, strong gusts of wind against them, spraying the downpour into their faces and slowing them down. Yaz held steadily onto Sammy's hand, leading her to the place she saw the cave.

 _Crap, where is it, where is it?!_ A lightning bolt flashed through the sky as Yaz tried to retrace her steps.

“There!” she yelled over the storm, steering Sammy towards the cave and pulling her under the shelter.

Yaz panted, wringing the water out of her long hair.

“Good… thing you spotted this… Yaz!” Sammy said in between breaths as she wiped rain off her face.

Yasmina slid against the wall and sat down on the floor in a huff. “Yeah, I do _not_ wanna be out there right now.”

As if on cue, a clap of thunder rolled through the sky, echoing off the walls of the cave. Sammy jumped in surprise, then—unrelatedly, of course—she scurried over and slid down at Yasmina's side, huddling up next to her. Yasmina closed her eyes and rested her head on the taller girl's shoulder, her exhaustion numbing the realization of how close she was to Sammy.

“Oh, is the track star tired?” Sammy teased, even though she was still trying to catch her breath too. Yasmina laughed.

“Haha! Never,” She countered playfully.

The two sat in silence, resting against each other as the rain echoed through the cave. To be honest, it was more of a depression in the face of the ridge than a cave. It wasn't a deep —it certainly didn't lead anywhere— but Yasmina found those traits perfect. If the it's small, there’s no space for a dinosaur to be stalking them from within, waiting for them to be off their guard before it—

 _No, don't think about that. You're alone with Sammy right now_ , _everything is fine._ But it was too late. Her anxiety was already flashing through all those terrible things that could happen.

"Hey," Yasmina broke the silence. "I–I'm glad you're okay." Sammy lifted an eyebrow and smiled in confusion.

"I'm glad you're okay too?" 

Yaz gave a small chuckle before explaining. "When I saw you and Darius on the cameras in Main Street," they started. "The T-Rex, Mitch and Tiff, everything. So much could have gone wrong. I was… scared. I was _so_ scared that I was going to lose you and I wasn't able to do anything but watch."

Tears threatened to spill out at the memories. She rested her hand in Sammy's, the physical touch helping to remind her that she was here and okay.

"Oh, Yaz," Sammy's previous smile was now pained. "I'm safe, I'm okay. We're okay." She squeezed Yasmina's hand. "As long as we're together, we will get through this. Okay?" She paused. "I feel like I'm saying 'okay' a lot, but you get what I mean, right?”

Yasmina laughed, wiping a tear from her face. She rested against Sammy, letting her head fall onto the girl's shoulder once more. "Yeah, I do. Thanks Sammy. That made me feel better." 

"Atta girl," Sammy whispered softly. They stayed like that for a few moments until the sound of growling stomachs interrupted the uniform pitter-patter of rain drops.

“Hey, do you have any berries?” Yaz asked.

“Enough for everyone,” Sammy offered her the bag.

“You’re amazing,”

“Aw, thank you,”


	2. Chapter 2

It has been a couple of days since the storm, and so far, life for the kids has been pretty uneventful in the dinosaur attack department. Maybe having a heavily armored ankylosaurs guarding the camp deterred any predators, or maybe the universe finally decided to give them a break. Whatever the reason, Yaz was definitely not complaining, and she was certain that the others wouldn’t either.

She was upstairs in the treehouse, the distant conversation of the others drifting up from the common area.

“Ow!” Yaz stopped her morning workout to massage her irritably sore neck, a by-product of the terrible sleep she's been getting lately.

After the moment that she and Sammy shared in the cave, she had come to the conclusion that yes, she _did_ like Sammy– A _lot_ – and now she couldn't stop thinking about her, which wasn't a good thing for her sleep schedule.

“Don't tell me you sprained your neck too,” someone joked behind her.

“Ha-ha, Kenji. Good one,” she droned sarcastically, standing up and starting her cool-down stretches. “I just… couldn't sleep well,”

“If it helps, we can switch bunks tonight. Naturally, mine is the comfiest, since I _am_ the coolest kid in the group.” He bragged, a hint of arrogance in his voice, but his intentions were sincere. “It could help with your neck.”

Yaz softened. “Maybe. Thanks, Kenji,”

“Anything for a fellow member of the CKK,” he threw a pair of finger guns.

“I wasn't even in your canoe.”

“You're an honorary member.”

Yaz smiled in spite of her rolling eyes.

Kenji sat himself down on a nearby crate. He was quiet for a moment while he watched Yaz finish her stretches.

“Soooooo _._ Sammy.” He broke the silence.

Yaz nearly lost her balance.

“What about her?” She tried to sound innocent and uninterested but she could feel the heat rise to her cheeks. _Crap, how did he pick up on that so quickly?_

“Oh, nothing, nothing,” He said airily, in a tone that suggested quite the opposite of ‘nothing’. He gave her a pointed glance, a hint of a smirk on his lips. Yaz glared back at him before finally relenting.

“Okay! Okay.” She raised her arms in surrender. “Maybe I think Sammy is pretty. And she's funny, and she makes me feel warm and happy when she's around, and—” she cut herself off as she realized she was rambling.

Kenji raised an eyebrow. “Wow, you've got it bad, Fadoula.”

“I know,” Yaz groaned.

Kenji gave her an empathetic smile. “I get it. I know all about gay yearning, trust me,”

It was Yaz's turn to raise an eyebrow. Kenji realized he may have said too much.

“Listen, Darius and I gotta head out, we can talk later, m'kay?” Kenji started towards the stairs.

“Head out? Where? And don't change the subject!” 

As if on cue, Darius called up from the common room: “Hey, Kenji! Are you ready to go do _the thing_?” He put a strange emphasis on ‘the thing.’

“Yeah! I'll be right there!” Kenji called back.

“Don't think this makes me forget what you said,” Yaz crossed her arms.

“Don't think this makes _me_ stop pestering you about Sammy,” Kenji teased, disappearing down the stairs just in time to avoid a pillow Yaz had thrown at him.

“Woah, Kenji! Slow down!” Sammy warned as the boy almost tripped down the steps.

“Yaz was attacking me!” he exclaimed.

Sammy stifled a laugh.

“Where are you guys going?” Ben asked.

“Yeah,” Sammy chimed in. “Where _are_ you going?”

“Just gonna do some things, get more food.” He waved his hand dismissively before sliding down the slide to meet Darius on the ground.

Ok. Weird. 

“Should we be concerned?” Ben asked Sammy.

Kenji and Darius _were_ the same duo that escaped Toro for the first time, but they were also the same duo who got into his enclosure in the first place.

“Hm, I don't know, but I think those two can handle themselves. I'm gonna go check on Yaz.”

Ben nodded in acknowledgement, grabbing some berries to go feed Bumpy with. They wouldn't be enough to sustain her– her main diet was grass and ferns–but they would make a nice treat.

Sammy passed a still-sleeping Brooklynn on her way up to where Yaz did her morning workout. The common area didn't have enough floor space for her to do them without everyone tripping over her so she did them up here.

“Knock-knock,” Sammy chimed as she walked up the last step. “Hey, Yaz!”

Yaz turned around quickly at the sound of her voice. “Oh! Hey, Sammy!” Her warm smile made Sammy feel strangely happy.

“So, Kenji said you were attacking him,” Sammy chuckled. “I don't always believe everything he says, but that seemed very plausible.”

Yaz laughed. “He was just being a pain, as always.” She pointed to the pillow she had thrown, sitting at the edge of the steps.

“Ahh, pillow fight. Wanna go eat?” she suggested.

“Yes, please!”

They enjoyed a breakfast of berries, mushrooms, and other edible plants they had found _._ Ben had quite the knack for foraging.

Well, _Yaz_ was enjoying the breakfast; Sammy had eaten earlier, but she sat with Yaz at the table to keep her company, flipping through her sketchbook.

“Ooo, Yaz, this one is so pretty!” She stopped at a detailed sketch of the sun setting on the jungle. “All of your art is so gorgeous, I love it!”

“Thanks,” Yaz blushed at the girl's compliment. “I never see my drawings to be all that great. I'm glad you like them.”

“Aw, that's something all artists do!” Sammy consoled. “They all think their art isn't that great, but it is! Y'all just stare at it too long while you’re drawing it and then you think it looks funny.”

“Maybe,” Yaz hummed. After a few moments, she mumbled, “I've never been called an artist before.”

“Well, you are!” Sammy exclaimed. “You're so creative, and smart, and talented,” she patted the sketches for emphasis. “Someone would have to be crazy to say that you aren't an artist.”

All these compliments made Yaz feel proud– and giddy because they were coming from Sammy.

“This crushing on Yaz is cute and all, but I gotta eat.” Brooklynn teased as she sat down at the table. Yasmina felt her ears heat up.

_Out of everything she could've joked about, did she have to choose a crush?_

“Brooklyynnn, it's not like that.” Sammy laughed. “Yaz and I are just friends.”

 _Just friends._ _Right._

As much as Yaz liked Sammy, there was no way she would want to risk ruining their friendship, and a confession followed by a rejection would be the best way to do that. Maybe it would just be awkward between them for a little while, or maybe Sammy would want to stop being friends entirely. It was just too risky.

 _She could also, maybe, like you back._ A small, optimistic part of her brain said, but it was drowned out by the anxious parts of her brain that always feared the worst.

 _Don’t fall in love with her, idiot._ She scolded herself.

But maybe it was too late.

_-The Next Day-_

“Oo! Is that Esther Stone?” Sammy asked excitedly, sliding into the chair next to Yaz.

Yaz looked up from her drawing. “Oh, yeah! I wanted to draw her outfit from Season five.”

“Aw man, that's her best outfit out of the whole series!”

“I know, right? I hate that they changed it for that tasteless hoodie in Season six,”

Yaz's heart fluttered as they went back and forward, deep into conversation about their favorite show.

_Oh my god, I love her._

“Alrighty, everyone!” Kenji announced loudly at the table, pulling them out of conversation. “We're going on a walk!”

“A… walk?” Sammy tilted her head in confusion.

“Yup!”

“Why? It's like a hundred degrees outside." Yaz asked. Kenji and Darius have been acting very strange since yesterday morning.

“Yeah, why?” Ben questioned.

“If I told you, it would ruin the surprise,” Kenji winked.

Ben's face seemed to turn red.

“Oh, come on guys!” Darius tried to sway them. “It will be fun! All of us, hanging out, _walking_!” he tried to make the ‘walking' sound fun and exciting but failed miserably.

Seeing that nobody seemed convinced, he tried another route.

“Please?” He put on his best puppy dog eyes.

“Ughh, fine!” Brooklynn groaned, trying to hide her smile. “You can be very convincing, Dino nerd. I'm in.”

“Yes!” Darius celebrated.

“I guess I can come too. Bumpy would like the exercise,” Ben added, still trying to fight down his blush.

Sammy met Yaz's eyes.

“Oh, uh-uh,” Yaz shook her head sternly. “No way. I know those two are scheming something.”

“ _Pleaaaaseee_ ,” Sammy rested her hands on Yasmina's arm and pleaded with her own puppy dog eyes, which were somehow more convincing than Darius'.

Yaz tried to hold her unrelenting glare, but to no avail. She sighed heavily. “Fiiiine.” She caved. “But _only_ for you.”

“Aww, you're sweet!” Sammy smiled, pulling Yasmina to her feet.

“Alright, Camp Fam! Let's go!”

“Kenji, how far is this surprise?” Brooklynn asked.

They were walking beside the river, following it downstream. Yaz guessed it's been, five or six minutes since they left camp, but with the sweltering heat it felt like more.

“Don't worry, we're almost there!”

“Where _is ‘_ there’?” Yaz muttered, wiping the sweat off of her forehead. She was skeptical, but she had to admit, she was a _little_ curious.

“I'm glad you came,” Sammy caught up to Yaz and hooked their arms together. “I wouldn’t have come without you and I _really_ want to know what the surprise is,”

“Huh?” Yaz asked, confused. “Why wouldn’t you have come?”

Sammy laughed. “Because I like spending time with you, dummy! Even more than seeing some silly, old surprise.”

Yaz blushed. “Heh, thanks. I like spending time with you t-"

“We're here!” Kenji and Darius announced together, spreading their arms to show off the area.

It was a small plain, cut in half by the river that seemed to run calmer here, without the strong currents. Rocks lined its coast and floor, the lack of dirt and mud making the river beautifully clear. Logs–seemingly dragged here, judging by the scuff marks on the grass– were placed to be used as benches, and large towel was spread on the ground as extra seating.

“Woah!” Brooklyn gasped. “What's all this?”

“I thought we could use a day to relax and have fun!” Darius explained. “I found this area when Ben and I went looking for berries-"

“And naturally,” Kenji cut in. “He asked me to help, as I’m a pro at throwing parties.”

“So, we just… relax?” Ben asked, as if the idea was foreign. Sharing an island with dinosaurs who want to eat you can do that to a person.

Bumpy stepped forward, circled a sunny spot in the grass, and plopped down with a _thud!_ to take a nap.

“See? Bumpy has the right idea!” Darius looked at the gang. “Come on!”

“Last one in is a rotten egg!” Sammy whooped, running towards the water's edge.

“Yeah!” Kenji joined her, running to the shore.

Yasmina laughed. Their energy was infectious and she soon found herself kicking off her shoes to join them in the water.

“But we don't have swimsuits!” Brooklynn protested.

“I mean, our clothes kind of _do_ need a wash.” Ben pointed out.

“Good point. Okay, I'm in!”

“Woo-hoo!” Darius pumped his arm in the air. “Camp pool party!”

Despite their months on this island, tense and struggling to survive, they quickly found themselves unwinding and acting like kids again. Dave's music, supplied by Kenji, was playing from the shore as the kids splashed and swam and just plain had fun.

After being refreshed by the cool, crisp river, Yasmina decided to take a little break as the others were occupied playing Marco Polo. Picking up her jacket, shoes, and socks from where she left them at the shore, she started toward Kenji, who was watching the group from the beach towel. His eyes didn't even glance in her direction, which Yaz found to be strange. He seemed to be fixed at something in the water… or some _one_. Yaz smirked.

“Soooooo,” She plopped down beside him. “Ben.”

“What?!” Kenji's voice cracked.

_Ha-ha, revenge is sweet._

“It's cool, dude.” Yaz reassured. “Now I know what you meant before about gay yearning.”

“I-" Kenji started to protest but gave up. “Heh, yeah.”

“Go talk to him!” She suggested.

“What? No! _You_ go talk to Sammy!”

She turned her gaze to Sammy, who was currently Marco, laughing as she blindly followed the voices of the others.

“Nope.” Yasmina decided. “Too scary.”

“Exactly.”

Kenji made a good point.

“But I'm pretty sure Ben likes you,” Yaz pointed out.

“Suuure,” Kenji said sarcastically.

“No, really! He does!”

“How can you tell?”

Yaz shrugged. “The way he acts around you. Oh, and I saw him blush at you earlier.”

Kenji was quiet for a second, seemingly going over this new information, but Yaz suspected he wasn't entirely convinced.

“It's funny how you can tell Ben likes me but not that Sammy likes you,” he teased lightheartedly.

“What? She doesn't like me. She's just really friendly; she's like that with everyone.”

“Hm, maybe. But she _could_ also like you.”

Yaz shook her head slowly. “I don’t want to risk it. She's the first friend I've had in… a _long_ time. The best friend I've had in my _life_.” She ran her fingers in the grass beside her. “I don't want to lose her.”

Kenji was quiet for a moment.

“Yeah, I get that. If you ever change your mind and want a wingman though-"

Yaz laughed and elbowed his arm lightheartedly.

“Sure thing. Same offer goes for you.”

“Hey, guys!” Brooklynn called from the water. “Stop being party-poopers and get in here! It's my turn to be Marco!”

“Shall we?” Kenji got up and bowed exaggeratedly, offering his hand to Yasmina.

“Why not?” she laughed, accepting his hand and letting him pull her to her feet.

“Marco!” Brooklynn called.

“Polo!” Yaz laughed.

 _Phew!_ Brooklynn was going in the opposite direction, following Kenji's voice instead. Yaz stepped back, bumping into someone behind her.

“Oh, whoops!” Yaz turned to apologize and was greeted by Sammy.

“It's okay, I'm fine!” Sammy assured her with a smile.

“Oh, okay, good.” Yaz stifled a laugh. “Did you go underwater?”

“Yeah, why? –Oh! My hair is a mess, isn't it?”

Yaz laughed and nodded.

Sammy combed her fingers through her hair, trying to tame the tangles. “Thanks for letting me know,”

Yaz glanced over her shoulder to check on Brooklynn, who was still occupied trying to catch Kenji. “No problem,”

“Does it look better now?” Sammy asked.

Yaz turned back to study her. _She's so beautiful…_

“Oh! Yeah! There's just one piece here-"

Yaz reached towards Sammy's face, picking out a strand that was sticking in an odd direction and tucking it behind the girl's ear.

Yaz was suddenly aware of how close they had become, their faces only inches apart. Her hand lingered, grazing against Sammy's cheek as her eyes met Sammy's. Her heart threatened to beat out of her chest, her hands almost shaking, and the sounds of the others fading to the background as Yaz brought all her attention to Sammy. The two seemed to move ever so slightly closer…

…until suddenly, Sammy flinched back, pulling away from Yaz's touch. She stared at Yasmina like a deer caught in headlights, before turning and rushing out of the water.

Yasmina blinked; then her mind caught up and her heart froze in terror.

_Shit._

She covered her mouth with her hands in fear, panic seizing her body as she realized that the very thing she was trying so hard to avoid, had just happened.

_Shit._

_Shit._

_SHIT._


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw for minor mentions of implied homophobia!

Fuzzy tingles erupted on Sammy's skin as Yaz's hand grazed her cheek, in an attempt to tuck away a stray strand of her hair. Sammy felt her heart beat faster and could hear her pulse echoing in her ears.

_Why do I feel like this?_

Ever since she and Yaz had become friends, she felt different around her, had a desire to always be close to her. They were just so close. Sammy had lots of friends at school, but their friendships were never like this. Maybe living and surviving together for two months brings your friendships to a whole other level of closeness?

But _this_ closeness that she was currently experiencing was completely new. Sammy's mind felt blurred, light-headed. Her only focus was on Yasmina.

Her heart skipped a beat as Yaz shifted her gaze and their eyes locked. Sammy's mind ran but somehow also held no coherent thoughts; all she could do was admire Yaz's beautiful, brown eyes and feel the tingles that danced across her skin as Yaz brushed her hand softly across Sammy's cheek.

She shifted slightly forward, something in her wanting to close the distance between them. Yasmina's gaze flickered downward to Sammy's lips; it was there for only a millisecond, but Sammy noticed.

 _Kiss her._ Her brain finally gave her a coherent thought, but this shook Sammy out of the moment.

_What?_

She pulled back from Yasmina's touch, ignoring the look of confusion in Yaz's eyes as the sudden movement pulled her out of her daze.

Kiss _Yaz? But–_

Suddenly, everything came rushing to her. The looks they'd shared, the lingering touches, the happiness Yaz brought Sammy whenever they were together. She also realized that Yaz very obviously had feeling for her—if she couldn't tell before, this moment they were sharing was all the proof she ever needed. The thought made her heart race.

_I think I have a crush on…_

The pieces started fitting themselves together in Sammy's mind, connecting the dots, but this realization was too sudden for her to process–especially while she was face-to-face with Yaz.

So she ran.

She shoved her way through vines, leaves, and bushes, her body on autopilot as her mind tried to sort everything out.

As Sammy reached the treehouse, her adrenaline rush dissipated, allowing her to think clearly and realize that that was probably a _very_ bad reaction to the situation.

_Definitely._

Definitely a very bad reaction.

Part of her wanted to go back and talk to Yaz about what happened–she was probably confused and hurt–but the other part couldn't face her.

 _Not until I figure out this..._ mess _of feelings._

-

“Hey, Kenji?” A voice spoke behind him. The voice was so weak, he was startled to turn and find it was coming from Yaz. Her face looked pained, anxious. He was instantly filled with worry, his mind leaving the current game of Marco Polo completely.

“Oh, god, Yaz are you okay?” He looked her up and down for any sign of physical injuries.

“I- Can we talk?” she wrung her hands together in an attempt at distracting herself from whatever had just happened.

“Of course, yeah. Let's get out of the water.”

He led Yasmina to one of the log-benches. As he sat down, his gaze fell on the group, still playing in the river, but someone was missing…

_Oh no. Sammy._

“Hey, Yaz? What happened?” He asked softly, even though his mind had already gotten an idea of what had taken place.

“I- Sammy and I were having a… moment.” Her voice was shaky; her hands still fiddled with each other nervously. Kenji reached over and put his hand in hers in an attempt to calm her. It seemed to have worked because she took a deep breath and spoke more clearly.

“We got close. _Really_ close. If it had gone on for any longer, I would've done something stupid and kissed her.” She laughed, though Kenji couldn't tell if it was sad or bitter.

“I think she realized that's where it was going because she pulled away before I could,” Yaz said, hurt in her voice. “She stared at me like… like if I had done something _horrible_ to her. At least, that’s what it felt like. Then she just… ran away.” She stared at the ground. “I think she hates me, Kenji.”

“Yaz, she doesn't hate you,” Although Kenji's main goal was to comfort Yaz and lower her anxiety before it became a panic attack (he knew all about those. They were _not_ fun), his words weren’t made up just to make her feel better; he truly believed them.

“How do you know?” Her voice sounded strange, as if she was dangerously close to crying.

“You're her favorite person here, probably her favorite person _ever_.”

Yaz kept her gaze on the ground; she didn't seem to be convinced.

“Look, out of all of us, who does she always hang out with?” Kenji waited for an answer.

Yaz was quiet. “…Me,”

“Who does she stay up late with, sharing whispered conversations across the bunks?”

“Me.” Yaz's breathing seemed to begin to slow, falling back into their normal pattern. Kenji inwardly sighed in relief.

“Who does she get worried about first after a dinosaur attack?”

“I see your point. I guess you're right.” Yasmina seemed to relax slightly. She still didn't seem to believe that everything between her and Sammy was all right, but at least she wasn't convinced that Sammy hated her. “Thanks, Kenji.”

“Of course, Yaz.” Kenji gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

He turned his gaze back to their surroundings. “Hm, the sun is going down.” He mumbled. “Will you be okay with seeing Sammy when we go back to the treehouse?” Kenji asked.

“It'll be weird and awkward, but I think can manage.” She gave him a crooked smile.

She managed; but not very well.

Up in the treehouse after their river excursion, Yaz accidently locked eyes with Sammy, who was portioning out food for the group to eat.

Yasmina had absolutely no idea about what Sammy thought about the almost-kiss they shared; having no information about something does _not_ help with anxiety.

_Do I say hi? Smile? Wave? WHAT DO I DO?_

Yaz panicked and her brain picked for her.

_Ignore her. Pretend she doesn't exist._

Okay. That seems like a sensible response.

“Hey, Sammy!” Brooklynn greeted. “You left early. What's up?”

“Uh…” Sammy chuckled nervously. “I just got tired. But hey, it gave me the chance to prepare y’all some food! I bet you guys are hungry after playing in the water all day!” She held out some bowls after her successful attempt at changing the subjects.

“Awesome! Thanks, Sammy. You're the best,” Darius thanked as he took the bowl of berries and roasted mushrooms Sammy offered him.

“Aww, thank you, Darius,” She smiled.

Too late, Yasmina realized that Sammy was handing _everyone_ a bowl, forcing them to have to interact.

Yaz looked around. Everyone else had already chosen a spot to sit down and enjoy their meal.

“Hey, here's yours,” Sammy offered gently.

Yaz turned, making eye contact with Sammy for barely a second before deciding: _Nope. Not now._

Sammy was acting the same way; careful, awkward.

“Uh, thanks,” Yaz mumbled, quickly leaving to go find a spot to eat. Kenji shot her a glance, as if to ask _“You okay?”_ to which Yaz responded with a slightly forced smile.

The tree house was full of conversation from the others discussing their time at the river. It was weird because usually Yaz and Sammy were the ones deep in conversation, and now, here they were, on two separates sides of the room, scared to interact for longer than five seconds. Even the others noticed their strange absence of closeness, though they didn't say anything.

Seeing Sammy sitting alone hurt her. It hasn't even been a few hours and Yaz already missed her.

_I should talk to her, but with everyone around there’s no place to do it in private._

_Maybe tomorrow._

_I want to talk to her._

Sammy stared at the girl from across the room, yearning to explain everything to Yaz, but judging by her avoidance, she figured that Yaz wanted to be left alone right now.

 _Maybe tomorr_ ow…

It was now dark out; everyone had passed out in their bunks, tired after the long day in the river.

Everyone except for Sammy.

_“Yaz, I didn't mean to–“ No, not that. What about, “I'm really sorry, what I did was dumb…”_

She kept going over what she should say to Yaz the next day, until her mind started to wander.

_Wow. I like Yaz._

_aaAAAAAAAAA!_

She heard the sound of rustling blankets and was jolted from her thoughts. The rustling was soon followed by creaking wood and footsteps.

 _Looks like I'm not the only one who can't sleep_.

She turned in her bunk, peering over at the silhouette that was now leaning on the balcony railing, staring out at the night sky.

_Yasmina._

Today sucked.

Wasn't the incident with Sammy enough? Was it really necessary for it to bring flashbacks from one of the _worst_ events in her life?

It seemed a little excessive.

“Hey,”

Yasmina tensed at the voice behind her. Despite its timid and cautious tone, Yaz knew it was Sammy. She kept her eyes glued on the stars, anxious about the conversation she knew Sammy wanted to have.

_Though, I guess if she's talking to me, that's a good sign. Right?_

“Can't sleep?” Sammy asked quietly.

Yasmina shook her head.

“Me neither. Listen, can we talk? About what happened?”

Yaz let her gaze fall, but still didn't turn to meet the girl's eyes. She gave a slight nod.

“…Yeah,”

Sammy stepped forward, joining Yasmina's side and staring out over the jungle.

“I'm so sorry for the way I reacted, Yaz. I know that probably made everything _so_ much worse. I should've stayed and talked to you about it-”

“Why did you run?” Yaz asked flatly. “Did I make you uncomfortable?” She said the word ‘ _uncomfortable’_ with a strange spite and pain in her voice.

“Oh, god no, Yaz!” Sammy exclaimed quickly. “It wasn't that, I promise.”

Yaz took a deep breath. “I-I'm sorry, Sammy. It's just… something like this happened to me before,” Her voice was hurt, almost shaky, at the memory. “I had a best friend a few years ago–at least, I _thought_ she was a friend. We did _everything_ together. One day, I realized that I liked her. I told her about it and… she didn't react well; it was _really_ bad _._ ” Yaz inwardly winced at the sour memory. The rumors, the bullying, the loss of her friends, _everything._ All caused by someone she thought she could trust.

“That's what made it so hard for me to trust people. I completely closed off to everyone. And then I met you, and we became best friends, and after what happened earlier, I was _terrified_ that I had fucked everything up like I did before. I was terrified that I was going to lose you.” At this point, Yaz had turned and finally met Sammy's eyes. A tear fell down her face.

“Yaz, I'm so sorry. I didn't know,” Sammy whispered. “But what happened then was _not_ your fault. You didn't mess anything up, she was just a terrible friend.” She rested her hand on Yaz's arm. Yaz could feel more tears welling in her eyes.

“You won't lose me, Yaz.” Sammy assured her. “You can't get rid of me that easily,” She joked gently, trying to lighten Yasmina's spirit. It seemed to have worked because Yaz smiled faintly at her words.

“Why did you run?” Her tone was softer this time. It held no spite; it was a genuine question.

“I… I was scared. I realized that you liked me and then all of these feelings came rushing to me; I had felt them before, but I never recognized that they weren’t just in a friend way until that moment—I had just barely realized that I even liked girls!—It was just so much to process, but I shouldn't have run off like that, Yaz. I’m sorry.”

Yasmina’s eyes widened.

“You… _like_ me?”

Sammy blinked as she went over what she had just said.

_Oh. Whoops._

“I, uh, meant to say that part later.” She chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her neck.

A hint of a smile slowly grew at the corners of Yaz's lips.

“But yeah, I do. Honestly, I feel stupid that it took me this long to realize-" Sammy was cut off by Yasmina's embrace. The shorter girl buried her head into Sammy's shoulder.

Sammy hugged her back tightly.

“What happened to not being a hugger?” She teased softly. Yasmina laughed into her shoulder before pulling away to meet her eyes, her arms still wrapped around Sammy's waist.

“I am so happy right now that I can't even think of something clever to say,” Yasmina laughed, pure delight all over her face.

Sammy's heart melted. “I'm really happy too.” She reached out and brushed her hand against Yasmina's cheek, cupping her face. Yaz brought her own hand up to rest on Sammy's. Her heart was beating at a million miles per hour, and her stomach doing more jumping jacks than she had ever done in her lifetime. She was ecstatic.

Yaz smiled, staring into Sammy's eyes. The reflection of the stars sparkled in them, making Sammy even more beautiful than before, something Yaz didn't even think was possible.

“I have the most amazing girlfriend in the world,” Yaz whispered breathlessly, barely realizing she was speaking out loud until she had already finished the sentence.

Sammy laughed, leaning down and touching her forehead against Yasmina's. “No, _I_ have the most amazing girlfriend in the world.”

Yaz beamed. “Do you want to sit here awhile?” She asked, dreading the thought of ending this blissful moment by going off to bed.

“Yeah, I'd like that.”

The others woke up the next morning to find Yaz and Sammy asleep, leaning against each other, their fingers interlocked and a blanket draped across their shoulders.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i was halfway through writing the finale when i decided to add another chapter before it so yay u guys get an extra chapter!!
> 
> also, thank you for the sweet comments!!! i really appreciate it and i love u all /p /gen

Yaz awoke with her eyes involuntarily squinting, in an attempt to lessen the bright morning sun hitting her face. She raised her hand groggily to cover the glare as she tried to piece together why it felt like she wasn't in her bunk. Not wanting to open her eyes to check, she instead retraced what had happened last night.

 _Sammy and I talked… and we're dating now..._ She may be half-asleep, but a smile creeped onto her lips nonetheless at the thought.

_And we grabbed some pillows and sat down on the floor together for a while… and I think we fell asleep there._

That would explain it.

Yaz could feel the Sammy start to stir next to her.

“Mm,” Sammy groaned, stretching.

“Good morning,” Yaz whispered.

“’Morning,” Sammy smiled sleepily. “Did we really fall asleep on the floor?”

“Yup,” Yaz laughed. “The pillows made it comfortable though.”

“Your shoulder did too,” Sammy added, nudging into said shoulder.

Yaz smiled, resisting the urge to plant a kiss on the top of Sammy's head.

“Do you wanna get up?” Yaz asked.

“Not really,” Sammy mumbled into Yaz's shoulder. “But I'm hungry, so yeah. Let's get up.”

“Well, good _morning_ , you two,” Brooklynn greeted in a teasing tone; clearly, she had saw them and connected the dots that they were (finally) dating. Yaz elected to ignore this as she sat down to eat.

“Good morning,” Sammy greeted, sliding in next to Yaz.

“Hey, Yaz!” Darius piped up. “I was wondering if we could add some more pictures to my field guide?”

“Oh, sure!” Yaz smiled. Honestly, Darius was like a little brother to her. She loved spending time with him, and working on the field guide together was their favorite way of bonding.

Darius beamed at her response, excitedly grabbing his field guide and a pencil to bring to the table. “So, I was thinking of adding a Ceratosaurus…”

Brooklynn, Kenji, and Ben continued their conversation–discussing musicals they enjoyed–Sammy joined the conversation quickly; she was a big fan of them as well. Yaz only half-listened. She had most of her attention on the paper, occasionally popping berries into her mouth as she drew. Darius watched, giving her notes on how to make her depiction of the dinosaur more accurate. Occasionally, Sammy squeezed Yaz's free hand over the table, earning a smile from her every time.

Her mind wandered as she sketched the Ceratosaurus on the paper. From the fun facts that Darius spewed about them, they were _dangerous._ The thought of him and Kenji coming face-to-face with one terrified her.

Actually, now that she thinks about it, they all got into numerous sticky situations, their luck holding out just enough every time for them to escape with their lives. At the moment it happens, you don't really think about it; the adrenaline rush followed by the relief of still being alive distracted from realizing just how crazy their scenario was.

Yaz started wishing for their rescue to arrive faster. Before their luck eventually runs out.

Suddenly, she had a thought.

“Hey, guys. We should build a fire.”

“A fire?” Kenji asked. “Like a campfire?”

“Remember the emergency beacon?” Yaz explained. “If someone got it and they come looking for us, having a huge bonfire to send up a smoke signal would be helpful for them to locate us easier.”

“Wait, that's a good idea.” Darius agreed. “We'll need to set up a fire pit first.”

“I know how to do that!” Sammy pitched in. “My family and I did a ton of campfires back home. We'll need sand—or dirt—for the floor and rocks for a barrier.”

“There's tons of rocks by the riverside.” Kenji remembered.

“We'll need to gather wood too,” Brooklynn mentioned.

“And plastic and rubber,” Ben added. “They give off more smoke, plus they make the smoke darker and easier to see.”

Kenji stared at him.

“I read a lot of survival books, okay?”

“Nerd,” Kenji teased, ruffling Ben's hair affectionately.

“Hey, I'm not complaining,” Sammy muttered. “Anything to get us back home.”

Yaz noticed that her tone sounded strange, almost tired, which was weird because she sounded like her normal, upbeat self only a few minutes ago.

Yaz put down her pencil. “Are you okay?” She asked.

“Yeah, why?”

“I just thought you sounded… off.”

“I'm fine, don't worry.” Sammy smiled to reassure her, but it seemed strained to Yaz; She had seen Sammy smile tons of times, and this one just wasn't genuine.

She returned her gaze to the sketch in front of her, wondering about why Sammy was feeling down. Her thoughts were interrupted by the feeling of someone's stare boring into her.

“Yes, Brooklynn?” Yaz didn't even have to turn to know that the girl was looking.

“Nothing. You guys are just cute.” She stood up. “Now let's go get that fire going!”

They split up to gather more materials. Of course, Yasmina elected to go with Sammy.

It was quiet, apart from the occasional comment. Sammy seemed to be acting more reserved than usual, further concerning Yasmina.

“Soo, what do you and your family do at your campfires?” Yaz asked.

“Oo! We would eat dinner outside, my dad played songs on his guitar, and then we would make s’mores.” Sammy smiled, recalling all the wonderful memories she had with her family.

“Our farm is huge and we live far away from the city lights. We didn't have a bunch of tall trees either, so you could see the Milky Way galaxy perfectly when you turned off the fire. My tio would make up silly stories for the constellations. We would all laugh and tell our own stories before going off to bed.” Sammy's tone seemed to change, becoming less enthusiastic.

“I… I really miss them. They must feel _so_ guilty. I came here for them _;_ for our farm. And now… they think I'm dead.”

Sammy had stopped in her tracks, staring at the ground dejectedly.

“Oh, hey,” Yaz soothed gently. “We're going to get out of here, okay? We're gonna go home and you’ll get to see your family again,” she smiled reassuringly but Sammy's gaze was still downcast. “And, when you do, you'll have tons of new stories to share at your campfires.”

Sammy slowly lifted her gaze from the ground until she met Yaz's eyes.

“Yeah, I know.” She clutched Yaz's hand tightly. “I'm just… _really_ homesick.”

Yaz brought Sammy into a hug, desperately wishing that there was something she could do to make her feel better. 

_Unless…_

“What if we could do something to change that?”

Sammy pulled away, her arms still wrapped around Yaz's waist. She gave Yasmina a quizzical look.

“What do you mean?”

“Hm, I shouldn't tell you. It's a surprise.”

“First the river party and now this? Wow, we are on a roll with surprises.” Sammy chuckled lightly. Yaz was relieved to see that Sammy wasn't as upset anymore.

“First, we need to keep finding wood for the fire. Then I can work on your surprise.” Yasmina promised, a twinkle in her eye as she mentally started planning what to do.

“You're sweet,” Sammy smiled. She gazed into Yaz's eyes for a second, before, much to Yasmina's surprise, Sammy leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek.

Yaz felt her face heat up and her brain momentarily halt all of its thoughts.

“Oh, was that okay?” Sammy asked.

“Yeah!” Yasmina broke into a beam. “Yeah, that's okay. I liked it. Actually, I think we should do it more often,”

Sammy laughed. “I agree. Maybe for now though, we should keep gathering stuff for the fire?”

“Oh, right!” The kiss may have short-wired Yaz's brain into forgetting what they were doing out here. “Yeah, let’s do that.”

-

“Hey, Sammy!” Yaz heard Ben call. “Can you bring me an extra tarp from the treehouse? We don't want the wood to get wet.”

“On it!” Sammy called back.

It was late afternoon when everyone had finished gathering the necessary materials, and now all they had to do was pile it into the fire pit they created. They were building it by the river's edge, a small walk away from camp. Having a giant potential fire right at your doorstep was never a good idea; fire safety, kids.

Yaz, however, was right next to camp, making a small fire-pit of her own. Hearing that Sammy was on her way over, Yaz quickly abandoned her attempts and stood in front of her project in an attempt to obscure it from view. This _was_ supposed to be a surprise after all.

“Hey, Yaz.” Sammy greeted. “What are doing over here?”

“Oh, just… working on something.” She said in a not-so-inconspicuous way.

“The surprise?” Sammy asked, a twinkle in her eye.

“Maaaaybe,”

Sammy's eyes flicked towards behind Yasmina in an attempt to find a clue as to what the surprise might be.

“Nuh-uh,” Yaz shifted to get in the way of Sammy's gaze. “No peeking,”

“Sorry,” Sammy laughed. “Couldn't help it.” She squeezed Yaz's hand. “I'm sure it'll be great, honey."

“Thanks.” Yaz smiled, inwardly screaming at the adorable pet name Sammy had given her. “Now shoo! I have to finish this,” She waved her away lightheartedly.

“Ok, ok! I'm going,”

It was sunset by the time the group had finished piling up the large bonfire, all ready to go and act as a smoke signal when needed. The process included Yasmina sneaking away frequently to work on her surprise for Sammy, but she was able to finish it too.

“Where is everyone?” Sammy asked. The sun had set and darkness was starting to fall over the jungle, the first stars starting to appear in the sky. Yasmina and Sammy were securing the tarp over the bonfire pile.

“That's part of the surprise,” Yaz responded with a hint of mischief in her voice.

Sammy raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I'm getting slightly worried about this.” She joked.

Yaz laughed. “It's okay, I promise.” She slid her hand into Sammy's. “Close your eyes,”

“Okay,” She chuckled nervously, closing her eyes and allowing Yasmina to led her away.

“Almost there… Okay,” Yaz said finally. “Open them.”

Sammy let her eyes flutter open.

“Surprise!” Ben, Darius, Brooklynn and Kenji exclaimed together.

They were sitting on blankets that were covering the ground, and were huddled around a… _campfire_. Everyone looked delighted, the warm light of the fire sparkling in their eyes. Darius and Ben held sticks with roasting mushrooms, while Brooklynn patted a spare blanket, inviting them to sit.

“We all wanted to help you feel better and make this campfire feel like the ones you had with your family back home,” Darius explained.

Yaz turned, expectantly waiting Sammy's reaction.

“Oh, _wow,_ ” she gasped; then she beamed. “You guys, this is… _amazing._ ”

“It was all Yaz's idea,” Kenji credited.

Yaz blushed. “Heh, yeah, I just wanted to help make you feel less homesick.”

Sammy squeezed Yaz's hand and smiled at her as if she were the best thing in the world; Yaz's heart melted in happiness.

“Who wants some mushrooms?” Darius asked.

“Oo, me!”

The night went on amazingly, and everyone had an awesome time. They laughed around the fire, Brooklynn telling stories about all the weird things she had experienced while on her trips.

“I got on the wrong train once in Europe and ended up in a different country,”

“HUH?” Kenji exclaimed incredulously. “How does that even _happen_?”

“I know, right?” Brooklynn agreed. “They should've warned me or something.”

Soon, everyone else was sharing their own stories, which was then followed by playing charades, a game Ben was extraordinarily good at.

The fire died out soon after, so they decided to stargaze. Yaz specifically picked a spot that was free from the jungle canopy for this reason. The beautiful night sky was no rare occurrence when you're on a remote island with no electricity, but the fact that Yaz had planned it all out made it even more special to Sammy. Being surrounded by the people she loved was all she could ever ask for.

As the night went on, one by one the others decided to turn in for the night, leaving Sammy and Yaz alone. They stayed laying down on the blanket, staring at the sky.

“Hey, Yaz?” Sammy spoke up.

“Mm?”

Sammy turned away from the sky above her, instead, laying on her side to look at Yaz. Sensing that Sammy had something important to tell her, Yaz did the same and met Sammy's gaze.

“What’s up?”

“This was really amazing; It felt _so_ much like back home and it made me feel a lot better.” Sammy traced her finger over Yaz's hand. “Thank you.”

Yaz smiled. “You're welcome. It was nothing, really, I just wanted to do something to make you feel better.” She shifted her fingers to interlock them with Sammy's. “I don't like it when you feel sad.”

Sammy smiled. “You're the best girlfriend I could've ever asked for.”

Yaz blushed. “Aw, thanks.”

They lay in comfortable silence, sometimes staring into each other's eyes before someone broke the contact to run their fingers against the other's hand, or to tuck a stray strand of hair behind the other's ear.

On one such occasion, Sammy was occupied tracing the lines of Yaz's palm. Yasmina absentmindedly stared at Sammy's face as she did so, studying her small freckles, the crinkle of concentration in her brow, and the tiny pout of her lip.

Sensing Yaz's stare, Sammy moved her gaze from Yasmina's hand, smiling as she locked eyes with Yaz.

“What is it?” Sammy asked quietly.

Yaz was silent for a moment, searching Sammy's eyes as she gained the courage to speak her thoughts.

“Can I kiss you?” She asked in barely a whisper.

Sammy's eyes widened for a second, pleasantly surprised by the question. Her smile widened as she nodded, shifting closer to Yaz.

Yaz could feel her heart hammering in her chest as she closed her eyes and leaned in, her body filling with warmth as their lips met.

All too soon, it was over. They separated, smiling against each other's barely-brushing lips.

“You're right, we _should_ do that more often,” Sammy rested her forehead against Yaz's, cupping her face in her hand.

Yaz laughed giddily, leaning into Sammy's hand.

“You're amazing.” Yaz whispered.

“So are you.” Sammy whispered back.

Yaz smiled.

The position was getting uncomfortable to hold so finally, reluctantly, Yaz pulled away. She laid back down on the blanket and stared at the sky, still incredulous about what just happenex. Sammy joined her, resting her head on Yaz's chest. Yasmina ran her fingers through Sammy's hair.

“Maybe we should head to our bunks?” As much as she didn't want the moment to end, she didn't think accidentally falling asleep on the ground was a good idea.

“Mmm, just a few more minutes?”

“Ok,” Yaz chuckled. “But don't fall asleep.”

“I can make no such promises.” Sammy laughed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *shamelessly plugs my yasammy playlist*  
> https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1XhLqG1vojRChIwIpLYYLb?si=f3T2_sWgRwi4zRy68bOE7Q&utm_source=copy-link
> 
> the finale chapter can kinda be read on its own, so i'll be making it into another work in this series. look out for it!


End file.
